The present invention pertains to the field of land vehicles, specifically the towing of land motor vehicles.
This application is directed to a tow bar assembly for use in towing a motor vehicle from a towing vehicle and more particularly to a tow bar assembly that establishes universal movement between a towing vehicle, such as a motor home, recreational vehicle (hereinafter “RV”), or truck, and a towed vehicle, such as a car. The tow bar assembly is designed to be connected to a conventional hitch receiver of the towing vehicle and may incorporate an adjustable double arm attachment for attachment to base plates secured to the towed vehicle.
Numerous tow bar assemblies have been created for facilitating the connection of a towing vehicle to a towed vehicle. In particular, in the field of motor homes or RVs, it is often desired to pull a smaller vehicle from the motor home so that the smaller and more fuel efficient vehicle may be used for local travel after arriving at a primary destination. With conventional towing devices, a hitch receiver is mounted to the towing vehicle, such as a motor home, and a storable hitch bar assembly is used to connect a vehicle to be towed to the hitch receiver.
To facilitate the storing of conventional towing devices, components of the tow bar assemblies were designed to be readily folded for compact storage when not in use. Further, to permit relative movement between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle while establishing a safe and balanced connection between the two vehicles, many conventional tow bar assemblies have a pair of arms with outer free ends that are designed to be clamped to the towed vehicle in such a manner that the connection is created at a pair of spaced points relative to the towed vehicle so that the stresses created on the frame of the towed vehicle are distributed on opposite sides of a central elongated axis of the vehicle. The arms are conventionally pivotally connected to a bracket so as to be movable in a horizontal plane so that the arms may be spread apart relative to one another when being mounted to a towed vehicle and may be selectively pivoted together for compact storage.
Early tow bar assemblies were designed such that there was limited motion established between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. Without allowing for relative motion or movement between two vehicles, tremendous stresses are created on hitch assemblies or tow bar assemblies. Such stresses often lead to failures of the tow bar assemblies. When a towed vehicle accidentally separates from a towing vehicle, the results are not only the possible damage or destruction of at least the towed vehicle but also possible injury or death to others in the area of the vehicles. Apart from the possible results of damage to property or injury to people, if the components of a tow bar assembly are not relatively movable, it is very difficult to establish a proper towing connection between two vehicles, especially if they are not initially properly aligned with one another.
To reduce the risks of possible damage to property or injury to people, many current tow bar assemblies have been designed to permit relative motion of the components of the tow bar assemblies to be established relative to and between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. Such more recent tow bar assemblies have also been designed to be adjustable in two or more planes so as to facilitate the connection between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. Often, vehicles are not perfectly aligned vertically, horizontally, or laterally relative to one another when being connected to a tow bar assembly. However, if a tow bar assembly is adjustable in three or more planes, a proper connection may be established between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle regardless of their relative positions with respect to one another.
Current conventional tow bar assemblies which create universal adjustment between two vehicles, are defined by three horizontally spaced pivot axes, one axis allowing motion within a horizontal plane, another allowing motion in a vertical plane and the last allowing rotational motion, typically about an elongated axis of the hitch receiver of the towing vehicle. In the past, the spacing of the three points of pivotal motion not only increased the cost of manufacture but also increased the length of the overall tow bar assembly. Typically, as the tow bar assembly becomes more elongated, it becomes less rigid and the resistance to stress along the length of the tow bar assembly is reduced. As a result, the trend in modern tow bar design has been to congregate the three points of pivotal motion to one location on the tow bar, and if possible align the intersection of the axes on a single plain.
One of the problems associated with modern tow bar assemblies that permit generally universal adjustment of one or more towing arms relative to a towed vehicles is that the components of such tow bar assemblies are often complex. Conventional designs attempt to space the three points of pivotal motion as close as possible on tow bar assemblies for the aforementioned reasons. Such tow bar assemblies therefore include relatively complex structures to accomplish the desired function. As the structures become more complex, they thus become more expensive to manufacture and more difficult to install and maintain.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to develop a towing device that is universally adjustable to both facilitate the initial connection of a towing vehicle to a towed vehicle and thereafter to permit relative movement, in at least three planes, between the two vehicles when they are connected with one another. By allowing relative movement in three planes between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, most of the load on the towing device is directed along the length thereof which results in a balanced force being directed to the towing vehicle making handling of the towing vehicle much easier and safer. Further, there is a need to simplify the design of current two bar assemblies to reduce the cost of manufacturing, while simultaneously maintaining the structural integrity and safety of the tow bar assembly. The invention disclosed below presents a tow bar assembly that purposely spreads the pivot points along the length of the tow bar, against past teachings of tow bar assembly, without sacrificing structural integrity or functionality. The machines described herein solve the issue of rising manufacturing costs and safety concerns with simpler components and improved design.